Flashes Amongst Flames
by CynicalDiffidence
Summary: A mask hides a face, hides all expression, and in turn hides an identity from the world. Their mask remains, leaving only the flashes amongst the flames for the rest of the Shinigami to work out who their new ally really is. But with the ever worsening war, they're going to need all the help they can get. Especially since their Strawberry seems to have given up all hope.
1. Chapter 1: Last Words

_Hello, to anyone who decided this Story/Fanfiction looked good enough to read! I will try not to disappoint any of you with my writing._

**BEFORE YOU START READING: **_This story is set directly following the events of Chapter 503 and previous Chapters. I read Chapter 504 but it didn't really fit in with what I had planned for this story. So…yeah._

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own anything in Bleach, about Bleach, or even anything relatively similar to Bleach. All rights go to Tite Kubo for writing this amazing manga._

_Anyway! On with the story!_

One more time. Just one more time. If he just gave it one more strike, one more hit from his Bankai-enhanced Zanpakuto, and then he knew he could get somewhere. One more hit. Just one more strike and he could break it.

He'd never given up before, so why would he now. Especially now, seeing as everyone was depending on him to come and help them. He could still hear their screams of terror, of pure agonising pain, echoing throughout his mind. The sounds of them shouting at their comrades to save themselves. The sickening sounds of death spreading like a disease inside of the Seireitei.

And that wasn't even the worst of it. They had all been told of his upcoming arrival, all set their hopes on him coming to save them. He was their hope – the only one able to use Bankai without it being stolen from him. They were _relying _on him to save them.

And what was he doing? He was sitting in the dark, in a cage. He was letting them all down, powerless against the barrier trapping him. Each slash of his blade against the bars cut him more than those same bars. Each strike put an extra brick on the walls of guilt slowly building up around him. And with each brick, a wave of sorrow, and pure uselessness flooded into him. That's what he was, after all – completely, and utterly useless.

He thought back to times of the past. Long forgotten, but not quite. He remembered the first time he saw Rukia. On her assignment in Karakura Town, her giving him his powers as a Shinigami, but only really sparking his own powers into life. He'd wanted to protect his friends, protect his family, to protect everyone. The power had made him feel something, like he could save people. The power to protect.

He remembered when Renji and Byakuya had come to take her back to the Seireitei. He'd thought for a moment he was strong, but they'd soon kicked that out of him. After all, he was just…Useless. He'd gone to try and save her only to prove it again. Useless. He'd fought his way to save her only to get crushed by Aizen. Useless. Every battle. Useless. Every single time. Useless!

But there was one time that he'd actually been strong enough to protect, and had done so. When he'd finally crushed Aizen, even with his upgrade from the Hogyoku. He was truly strong then, only for his strength to be ripped from him completely. He'd lost it all. His eyes, which had been opened to a new world, now covered from behind by hands that would never be taken away. He'd lost so many new friends – Rukia, Renji, Ikkaku, Toshiro, and so many more.

He'd actually meant something; he could actually make a difference to something. He'd done things beyond anyone's wildest dreams, gone to places no one would believe in. He'd finally felt alive. Alive, and breaking away from all the limitations that had been set for him.

But then it was gone. All of it was gone. And he was no longer Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Shinigami. He was Ichigo Kurosaki, the High School student with no idea what he wanted from life.

Each limitation returned, binding him. It had chained him back into the cage of humanity. He wasn't strong anymore. He no longer had the power to protect his family, his friends. 17 months had passed with him just standing still. He'd made absolutely no progress. Every day he'd put on a straight face, maybe a few fake expressions to satisfy his friends. But it didn't stop the feeling of longing. Longing to be strong again. Longing to be able to protect again, every single moment. Each passing second had felt like days, building up the feeling that had always been there. Useless.

And finally, he'd caught sight of a new path, a new possibility. He'd thought he could be strong again. The power needed to protect those around him. He'd gained a new source of strength, the power of Fullbring. And of course his Substitute Shinigami badge would be the thing to give him strength. It was his constant, every day reminder of the past, of when he had been strong. His connection to his friends, to everything he'd ever had.

But then that hope had been taken as well. His new found abilities lost, stolen from him. Everything had just come tumbling down right there and then – or at least everything that hadn't already. Everything he'd gained everything he'd worked towards achieving, gone. Useless.

He could have cried in pure joy when he'd seen Rukia standing right behind him, holding onto the hilt of the Reiatsu filled sword. This was what he'd wanted – to have strength once more. And as soon as he'd seen his friends once more, he slowly felt the bindings loosen. He was free once more of human limitations. He was alive. Useful.

And then he'd fought against Kirge, and pressured him enough to lead to the Quincy's defeat. He finally had enough strength. But then he'd been trapped in this cage, with nothing but the screams and shouts of his friends to further the guilt. And the feeling. Useless.

"Getsuga Tensho!" He yelled again. The same two words, repeating over and over. The same waves of destructive black Reiatsu being emitted, doing nothing to the bars of his new prison. Each wave seemed to be absorbed. Most of the attack making the cage stronger while the rest merely slipped through the gaps.

Maybe if he kept on attacking the bars, the power would become too much for them to handle. Maybe it would break if he kept on striking it with his Reiatsu. No. It wasn't a maybe. It _would _break. He _would _find a way to get out and go to his friends. He would prove that he was useful. Not useless. He just _wouldn't _be useless anymore. Or at least that was what he was trying to convince himself.

He was on his own. He was the only one who could do anything. Nobody in the Seireitei could hear him, and he had somehow been disconnected with Urahara. And that led to another thought. What had happened to the ex-Shinigami he'd left back in Hueco Mundo? Had he been forced into battle with the unrelenting Kirge? Or was it something else? But no matter what had happened to him, Ichigo was still alone. With the burden of his friends' reliance on his shoulders.

So here he stood, completely still once more. He couldn't take a single step forward. And looking back, he realised the truth. The truth that even through everything he's been through, even after meeting Rukia and gaining the title of Substitute Shinigami, he hadn't gone anywhere at all. He was still the same. Just…useless.

So there, in his prison, he collapsed to the ground. And there, in his prison, he found himself with tears streaming down his face. There, in his prison, Ichigo Kurosaki gave up hope entirely.

~CynicalDiffidence~

Takahashi Tanaka had never wanted to get involved in this war. Despite his Division's reputation for revelling in what they preferred to call 'the joy of a fight', he'd always preferred the times of peace to those stained in crimson. He'd never had any faith in his strength despite everyone else's reassurance that he was a decent fighter, staying on the side-lines whenever the others in his Division bantered and argued with blades.

Yet still, here he stood. In the midst of the most terror-invoking colour that he had ever laid his hazel eyes on. Bodies littered the ground like leaves in autumn, only ripped and torn completely to shreds. Unwhole, crimson leaves left to rot away. Abandoned.

The enemy stood before him, completely uninjured, completely unfazed by the corpses before him with a sadistic grin covering their features at their 'artwork'. They cut down Shinigami so fast it seemed as if a wave of death steadily crept through them. Their power was too much for anyone without the power of Bankai, and from what he had heard; they could take that same power away in an instant. There was no doubt about it, there was no hope. They were all going to die. He sure as hell knew he probably was.

But some others had hope in a guy they'd called 'strawberry'. Apparently, from what he'd heard, the man had single-handedly crushed Sosuke Aizen. He hadn't been a Shinigami back then, but everyone in all of the districts knew what had happened in relation to the ex-Captain. He betrayed the entirety of the Seireitei. Thankfully though, that was all old news by the time Takahashi had joined the ranks of the Gotei 13.

Where was Strawberry? They'd said that he was coming. His Bankai was somehow immune to whatever method they used to steal it. He had to arrive sometime soon, otherwise the Seireitei's streets would be even more stained with the blood of his comrades. No, not just his comrades, they were his friends. Even in the short time he'd been a part of it, this had become his home. He'd finally found somewhere he felt alive, he'd felt like he'd belonged. Even the 11th Division's constant brawls and fights had become a permanent part of his life. The joy of everyone's faces, the fact that no matter what they always had the ability to smile, that they were all happy, was completely infecting him.

He wasn't going to give up, not now, not ever. As a member of the 11th Division, as a subordinate of Kenpachi Zaraki, as a Shinigami, he couldn't do it. Even if Strawberry didn't turn up, they still had many excellent fighters in their midst. They always seemed to pull through, even if they didn't have the ability to release Bankai. Look at his Division's captain, he had no Shikai, let alone a Bankai and still was one of the strongest around. The lieutenants, the seated Shinigami, the Captains, all had a reputation for never giving up. They lead by example, so he was going to follow.

Then there was the Soutaichou himself, Captain Yamamoto of the 1st Division. He never released his Bankai, and was still the strongest one in the entire Seireitei.

All that Takahashi had gained as a part of the Gotei 13, all the friendships he had made, the bonds created, he wouldn't let anyone destroy it. He would either fight and save it, or die trying. From everything they had given him, the home they had created, he owed them that much.

"Help me, Gekido!" He half screamed out as his drawn katana morphed into his Shikai. Golden knuckledusters.

"Oh, so there's still someone willing to fight me?" The enemy's voice was filled with way too much enthusiasm, sending a slight shiver down his spine.

Swallowing away any fear that was still left inside of him, he lunged forward, throwing a punch towards the enemy. They dodged it with ease.

"Come on, at least _try_ to hit me, Shinigami." They were merely toying with him, but he wasn't going to give up that easily.

He threw another punch, one that they caught in their hand lazily. He immediately panicked, eyes widening in his rising anticipation.

"You're no fun at all," he crushed Takahashi's fist, purposefully avoiding damaging his Gekido. He didn't seem to react at all to the pain-filled scream created by the action. "Don't worry shorty, I won't damage your weapon," he tilted his head sideways in a sadistic Cheshire-like grin "after all, you'll need it so it would have been a fair fight once I've shattered every bone in your body."

"Give it your best shot." The Tanaka spat out with every ounce of courage he could find within himself, hoping his words would give him slightly more. But unfortunately for him, those were the last words Takahashi Tanaka ever spoke.

_Yay! Finally I typed it all out! The first chapter is now complete, hope you guys liked it and I didn't disappoint you all._

_I've had this story planned for ages but I didn't really think about posting any of it until now. Luckily for me, this point in the manga is perfect for me to fit my story into canon (hopefully)._

_Anyway, please review! Until next update!_

~CynicalDiffidence~


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello again! Here's the second chapter of my story Flashes Amongst Flames! Hope you like it _

_I'm soooo sorry for the really late update but I just kept procrastinating about it and just pushing it further and further back. But I'm going to try not to do that again (hopefully)_

_Thank you to everyone who read last chapter, and a special thank you to DeathRider25 for thinking it were good enough to follow and favourite._

**NOTE: **_Last chapter I said that I wouldn't be using chapter 504, I'm going to say the same again just so you all remember. I may decide to feature some of the events from that chapter and further chapters, but not all of it will be canon in this story. I will try to make it clear which events will and will not be canon._

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own anything in Bleach, about Bleach, or even anything relatively similar to Bleach. All rights go to Tite Kubo for writing this amazing manga._

TEHGRIMREAPER

Kisuke Urahara didn't know what to say. His normal joking characteristics gone, replaced by a serious expression set into his features. Confusion managed to make its way onto his face, refusing to be hid away. But what shocked him most, was the fear that managed to creep into his throat, cutting off all words he would have wanted to say.

He wouldn't say that he didn't feel fear, but it had been a long time since he'd felt it gripping at his emotions in such a way. It was indescribable, despite the fact he'd been in similar situations in the past. Something was different about it, something he couldn't put his finger on. But there was more important things to be worrying about than the slight different details of what stood before him.

They moved their sword slightly, pushing the striped hat off of his head. It flopped to the ground almost silently, neither reacting to it at all. This said a lot for the blonde, as most knew he cared for his hat after all. The blade then moved again, returning to its position next to his cheek. It was quite distinctly meant as a silent threat not to question them.

But how could he not question them, inwardly at least. They were the one who had just cut the enemy clean in half with one slash of their blade, the same enemy who Ichigo had struggled against. That said a lot for their strength. And then there was their mysterious appearance, arousing more questions than one. White shorts, coming down to slightly above mid-thigh, a black, sleeveless shirt with a hood covering her head. And if he were to take his gaze from hers, then he may have noticed the thin golden scars running down their legs, which could only be described with their great likeness to lightning. Or maybe he would have noticed that they wore modern day black converse, from Ichigo's world. But he didn't. He only saw one other strange item about their person, apart from the black katana that still remained poised towards him that is.

There it rested over their features: the mask. Covering their entire face, it remained blank and featureless, other than two slits for her eyes, and a long, curved shape to represent their mouth. Golden orbs stared down at him, blank, and lacking of emotion completely. Uncaring whether or not anything moved onwards, they were the eyes of a broken soldier who had seen too much bloodshed. Their eyes held too much loss of hope for the eyes of what appeared to be (from what he could pick up from their figure) a young woman.

He didn't have the courage to take his gaze away from hers, afraid of not being able to see their next move. Eyes were supposed to give away most things after all. But with eyes as terrifying as hers, he wasn't sure if that was even true. In fact, he didn't seem to know anything anymore.

"Tell me," they began slowly, instilling fear in each word. Their tone, despite its lack of anything seemingly humane, proved him right. She_ was_ a young woman. She continued speaking after a moment, "how can I get to the Seireitei?"

TEHGRIMREAPER

"Captain…Commander…" Shuhei breathed out slowly. Said man had finally arrived onto the battlefield, they were saved. He would be able to defeat them all, the strongest man in the entirety of Soul Society. He'd created the Gotei 13 and the Shino Academy completely by himself. If anyone could save them, it was that man.

The injured lieutenant's eyes widened as the enemy brought out Chojiro Sasakibe's Bankai, one that none of them had seen the man himself use. Yamamoto appeared to be in deep thought as he was attacked by his ex-partner's power, being struck dead on centre by the lightning. But it wasn't enough to bring down a legend.

He pushed through the enemy attack and destroyed them quite simply. There was no way that they would be able to stand a chance against the great Captain Commander of the Seireitei. Not even their leader who had done little to nothing on the battlefield would, or even could survive a fight with such a man.

Or at least that was what he expected. After defeating the first intruder, he rushed off to find the leader of the attack. Shuhei watched from the side lines with awe at the way he seemed to completely overpower the enemy leader. But that wasn't the truth of the matter.

Right in front of the eyes of all the Shinigami still left standing, the legendarily powerful Captain Commander was struck down. The impossible became possible, as he fell to the ground. Even with his monster of a Bankai, there he lay on the ground. It wasn't possible; there was no way it could actually have just happened.

But it had, and there was nothing anyone could do as he lay dying. No one else could stand up to this enemy. The strongest of all had fallen, leaving no hope for the Shinigami left behind. The Captains were all defeated, with their own Bankais at that. Who else was there that had the power needed to complete such a task.

Only one.

A miniature shockwave rippled throughout the area, affecting all who still managed to stay standing. Whether it knocked them down from their already shaky stability, or merely caught their attention as in the case of the current victors. They all looked upwards towards the heavens, as cracks shattered the bright blue sky.

A hole opened up in the centre, revealing the only one who could possibly rescue them now that their leader had fallen. Their only remaining ally that would stand a chance against such a foe. Their friendly Strawberry.

Ichigo Kurosaki had arrived on the battlefield. And he wasn't alone.

TEHGRIMREAPER

_Urgh, I know I made it really short but I love cliff hangers so I end up using them for everything. To be honest I didn't really know what I was writing, I just kept typing and typing whatever came to mind. _

_So, yes there will be one or two OCs in this story but I'll try not to make everything revolve around them. _

_Any thoughts on who the mysterious masked woman is? And why does she want to get to the Seireitei?_

_Find out next time, in FLASHES AMONGST FLAMES! Until then _

TEHGRIMREAPER


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello to all, here's the next chapter of Flashes Amongst Flames (well obviously)._

_Here's a special thank you to Uranium12 for adding me to your alerts and favourites as an author. I hope not to disappoint you in the future _ .

_I hope you all enjoyed last chapter, even though it was pretty short. I guess I should work on that, but enough of my rambling. On with the chapter!_

**Note: **_I know I've said it before but just to clarify, not everything from chapter 504 and onwards shall be canon in this story, but I will try and make it clear. _

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own anything in Bleach, about Bleach, or even anything relatively similar to Bleach. All rights go to Tite Kubo for writing this amazing manga._

TEHGRIMREAPER

Her golden eyes shifted, moving instead towards the now closed opening to the Soul Society. Kisuke felt immediate relief as there was no longer an almost murderous glare being sent his way, and hoped that she would face the other way long enough for him to regain his composure. Luckily for him, she did, and he slowly managed to calm his nerves enough to be able to stand slowly. Her gaze immediately snapped back to him, but with noticeably less menace than before.

It was strange looking at her eyes for him then. They seemed to have lost the previous threatening edge they'd had, becoming much softer instead. Maybe if he'd looked deeper, he'd still see the scars of battle lingering in the background, but he hadn't. He was only left to witness the sudden changes, and wonder how the young woman before him could transform their gaze alone into such a fear-inducing weapon.

"It's through there," she spoke calmly, pointing a finger towards the closed opening, "right?" He only nodded slightly in return, trying to refrain from gulping. There was still the ghost of a trace of hardness in their voice, but it had lost most of its killing intent as well. "I'm sorry for scaring you, old man, but I find that that's normally the best way to get information out of people quickly without them trying to resist against you. Well, I guess it depends on who you're interrogating, but who cares about that."

It took him a minute to contemplate her words as she slowly moved over to where she had previously pointed. It suddenly felt a lot less difficult for him to think when he didn't have a blade held only millimetres away from his cheek. And then he realised exactly what she had just called him before moving away. 'Old man'.

"Hey," he didn't speak too loudly; just enough so that she would be able to clearly interpret what is was he was going to say. "I am _not _an 'old man'!"

As she turned back to face him, he could have sworn she was grinning behind that mask of hers. Her eyes were closed, at least (or that was what it looked like from where he was standing). "Well that took you a minute to react to." She turned back towards the still closed opening, shifting her blade in her hand slightly. "But I guess I shouldn't be calling _you _an old guy," She lifted her katana and pointed it towards the opening, "after all," a single slash of her blade cut through the binds, as well as rippling a few shockwaves through the open space from the movement, "I'm probably older than you are."

As soon as the binds were cut, the entrance stretched itself back to its previous state. Light from the desert-like Hueco Mundo flooded into the pitch black, almost empty space inside, where a particular Strawberry resided.

"Feel free to follow me, Mr Shinigami." She spoke again, using the exact same almost monotone calm voice. It was almost as if nothing could bother her in the slightest. If only he'd realised the ironic truth of those words as he'd thought them while still left staring after her figure as she jumped up into the entrance. "It's not as if I'm going to close this thing after me, and you probably don't want to end up getting stuck in Hueco Mundo of all places, do you? Mr Shinigami?" He sensed a smirk behind those words, even if he couldn't see it due to that creepy mask of hers.

She glanced backwards at him over her shoulder one last time, a hint of laziness in the action. "Oh, and Mr Shinigami," she spoke again, the briefest of an edge making its way into her tone again. "Don't forget that hat of yours." And with those as her final words, she walked onwards, facing once more the way she was going instead of towards him. So Kisuke Urahara merely watched with slight wonder as she strolled right into the pitch black pathway between Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society. He could only imagine why she wanted to go there in the first place. It was only then that he noticed the 'lightning' scars running down her legs, and the black and white shoes from Ichigo's world she wore upon her feet. But she was already too far away for him to question her about it, and he wasn't quite done in Hueco Mundo, so chasing after her was out of the question. But he just took in the new information without thinking about it too much. He was too busy thinking about her other feats, like scaring an ex-captain Shinigami.

'_Honestly,_' he thought to himself, a few moments after losing sight of her figure among the darkness, '_the young people these days still manage to amaze me._' He picked up his hat with a small smile, before something she'd said dawned on him. "_I'm probably older than you are._" Her voice echoed over and over within his mind for a minute, as his eyes began to widen slowly.

Images of an old woman's wrinkled face behind that mask of hers popped up into his head, causing him to begin laughing uncontrollably.

'_I doubt that would happen…_' he thought after regaining control over himself, '_but still…_' More images faded in and out of his mind's eye, bringing more laughter from his mouth.

TEHGRIMREAPER

Light flooded into the dark, catching his attention. A few moments later, slow footsteps sounded as a sign that someone was making their way gradually towards him. Someone had opened the entrance. But hadn't it been stitched back together so it was closed up by that Kirge guy? Yeah, it had. Had they managed to break it, whoever _they _were? These, and many more questions alike them, swarmed into his head as he tried to focus on the figure making their way towards him.

They stopped a few metres away from the cage, standing in a lazy yet defensive way. They never showed any signs of letting down their guard, no matter what they did. Something only a war veteran managed to keep as a habit. A black katana was gripped firmly in their hand, held pointing down and to the side slightly. It was ready to defend with within a seconds notice, but not held in any way threateningly.

Their appearance in all was questionable, especially the mask hiding their features from his view. Were they actually really ugly and wanted to hide such features from the eyes of the world, or was there another motive for their choices. Thinking about it logically, and based on their current situation, Ichigo decided that it was most definitely the latter. But another question was why the heck they were here in the first place?

Looking at the blade she (he had soon discovered the approaching figure was in fact a woman from their… assets) was slowly lifting to rest on her shoulder, still managing to keep up their defence he noticed slightly, he wondered if it were a Zanpakuto, or merely an ordinary blade. He wouldn't know unless they showed any signs of releasing it, which they hadn't… yet. And if it was a Zanpakuto, then were they some kind of Shinigami? There was no way he could figure it out from her looks alone (they wore nothing similar to the standard Shinigami uniform after all); he would have to ask them directly for answers.

"Who are you?" It was the most direct way to get answers from her, no matter how typical a question it was. Her reaction was unexpected, given that she completely ignored his query of her identity.

"You look a lot like you've been crying." The simply statement caused him to furiously rub his face with on his sleeve in an attempt to erase any remaining tear tracks. He had already failed to hide it from her though – she had seen both them, and the fact that his eyes had become red and puffy.

Looking up again to her eyes through the slits in her particularly creepy mask, he noticed her golden orbs seemed to be filled to the brim with concern directed towards him. She seemed to genuinely care about whether he was alright or not. Either that or she was an amazing actor, whose fake emotion reached even her eyes.

"You wanna talk about it?" Again with the concern, or the extremely talented lies. Maybe she was an enemy, who wanted to learn about what made the Soul Society's supposed to be hero break down into tears. To discover what was it that he truly feared. She had seemed to appear out of nowhere and instantly pick up on his depressive state, only to start some kind of comforting act. She might have been their enemy and he would be playing right into their hands. But then again, at this moment, he needed someone to talk to so badly it hurt.

"My friends, I've let them all down. They'll all hate me even if I can get out of this cage that Quincy guy locked me in. They've been relying on me to come and defeat their enemies, and assist them in whatever it was that I can do for them. But now I'm trapped in here and they're probably going to get hurt really bad. A lot of them will die and it'll all have been my fault – I might as well have been the one who'd have killed them!"

There were a few moments of silence which followed, maybe in which time she was contemplating and picking up on his fears through his small speech. He lowered his head to the ground once more, screwing up his eyes in an attempt to put a halt to the tears managing to escape him. He gave a silent sob, by which time she seemed to have figured out what to say.

"You talked a bit about their future just then," she started slowly, probably selecting each word carefully like any enemy might do. "Kid, the future is never set in stone. Anything could happen, and you only know it has when you experience it yourself. And there are always illusions which can trick you into believing in misconceptions." She paused slightly, letting her words sink in. "From what I can tell, your friends aren't dead. They're still breathing right now, so you haven't killed anyone.

"If you're just going to sit here and wallow in all your misery, then maybe they will die. And maybe it would have been your choices and decisions about your own actions that made certain they would have died. But that hasn't happened yet. You still have the chance to break out of that cage and save their lives before anything would have happened. That enough makes your statements false."

He could almost sense the warm smile radiating from behind her mask directed at him. He could see the warmth in her eyes. Right then, he didn't care whether or not she was one of the enemy. Her words were filled with motivational kindness. No, she couldn't have been working with the people he'd met before. He could kind of… just sense it, in a way.

"Mr Shinigami. I know you can break out of that cage. If you're still conscious right now, then you haven't used every inch of energy in your body until it gives up on you to go and save those friends of yours. So you can't give up now, because right now you need to stand up and break that open. I know you can."

Slowly and steadily, he rose to his feet and gripped firmly with both hands on the hilt of his Bankai-enhanced Zanpakuto. She was right – he still had energy enough to at least attempt escaping the cage. It was time to prove that he had moved forward after becoming Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Shinigami. It was time to prove everything.

"Atta boy," she said as he stood.

"My name's Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki, Substitute Shinigami." He wanted someone to know his name, know his earned title. He wanted someone to know that he was worth something.

He sensed another smile as she lifted her own blade and pointed it towards the sealed entrance to the Seireitei.

"Then let's get this party started, Ichigo."

Ichigo Kurosaki then arrived on the battlefield. And he wasn't alone.

TEHGRIMREAPER

_Yay! Another chapter finished. I hope it was to all of your liking._

_From now onwards, I'm going to be trying to update within a week for every chapter. I know it's not that often but no matter how much I try I cannot write a chapter solidly in one day or anything like that._

_Anyway, what did you think of this chapter? Please leave a review to tell me what you like, what you didn't like, anything I can improve on or something along those lines._

_Until next time!_

TEHGRIMREAPER


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello again everyone! And welcome to chapter four of my Fanfiction, Flashes Amongst Flames! I hope you all enjoyed last chapter (I know I enjoyed writing it XD) _

_Another thank you this chapter, this time to Butterflysopia for favouriting my story, and also to NewL for adding it to their alerts. Thank you to both of you XD_

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own anything in Bleach, about Bleach, or even anything relatively similar to Bleach. All rights go to Tite Kubo for writing this amazing manga._

TEHGRIMREAPER

A few words to Byakuya would be spoken, before the true battle would begin. The true battle he needed to prove his place in this world, that he wasn't useless. The masked woman had all but disappeared as soon as they'd broken through into Soul Society, her whereabouts known only to herself. Maybe she had business in Soul Society that she'd needed to complete with the utmost importance. Maybe she was in fact a spy for the enemy. But she had saved him from giving up when he desperately needed not to, and that was a good enough reason for him to let her get on with whatever it was she needed to do. Because if he did defeat the enemy leader and save the lives of the Shinigami, it would have been because of her influence. She would have been the one that had saved them all, even if she ended up being some kind of enemy.

The next few moments passed in an almost blur, and before he knew it he was lying on the ground with a sword cutting into his flesh. It was a close encounter with death, but he wouldn't give up until him and the Grim Reaper were thoroughly acquainted. Even then, he could still manage a curse from beyond the grave. Giving up was something he definitely couldn't do if he wanted to be something in this God forsaken world. A particular mask wearing woman had taught him that even in the few moments they'd exchanged conversation. Something about her just seemed to create a positive influence to those surrounding her.

Their surprise was short lived as he got straight back up after having a sword thrust through his chest. They knew something he didn't. Something they seemed so utterly reluctant to inform him about. And he just snapped when they mentioned his mother, rushing forward to find out what the heck they'd meant by putting her into the 'conversation'. His recklessness cost him his sword. But it was still sharp enough to do some damage if he slashed them with the broken edge. He couldn't give u-

Any thoughts of attacking them with his broken blade were put to a halt as something sharp and metallic flashed in front of him, effectively blocking any attack he could have wished to rush forward and perform. A silver gauntlet with claw-like fingers lay poised towards him, the metal armour flowing up to mid-biceps on light brown skin. His eyes focused on the offending almost-talons briefly, before moving up to see the person keeping him back.

Imagine his surprise at spotting the familiarly featured mask, barely recognising it from the side as her attention was on the other people who her violent threat was aimed at. The other gauntlet was pushed up against the throat of the man who had been the destruction of Soul Society and its inhabitants. Without a second's hesitation she had sped herself to directly in between the aces of each side to stop the confrontation she knew the Strawberry was bound to lose. Even he himself had known he wouldn't be able to win against the man, not right after even the great Captain Commander had fallen to his superior fighting skill. But fighting a losing battle was something he was willing to do, as long as his efforts would be recognised by those around him, friends and foes alike.

The enemy still seemed to be processing what had just occurred, shown clearly by their both shocked and wide eyes. But he had got over it a lot faster, and it was something he felt the desperate need to question.

"Why are you stopping me?!" He began, not even making an effort to keep his voice calm. The mix of confusion and almost disappointment was clear in his tone – after all, she had been the one to tell him never to give up until he'd passed out, or even breathed his last breath. "I don't care what the chances are that I'll lose, I'll fight this guy and save everyo-" He never got to finish what he was going to say.

"Don't throw your life away!" Her voice held some withheld pain visible even through only five words. She turned her head in his direction, mask fully facing his less hidden features. Memories seemed to flash through her golden orbs – she wasn't even trying to hide it either. "Yes I said not to give up until you pass out, but that doesn't mean you should attack a retreating enemy you couldn't yet hope to defeat. Now stay back!" She almost hissed the last three words at him, resulting in the desired effect of silence and lack of action from Ichigo.

"You…" The other threatened man finally seemed to have thought up something to say, as her eyes snapped to his features instantly. There seemed to be no way that she was going to let him catch her off guard, even if she always seemed to be defensive in her movement.

"I think you should leave." She spoke bluntly; with such venom in her voice it could have out-classed even the most deadliest of poisonous creatures. His face made it appear as if he was going to go against her words by staying and speaking again, but she wasn't going to let that happen. "LEAVE!" The shout gave him all the reason to do so, not wanting to stay where he knew he definitely wasn't welcome. And so they were gone, leaving the Soul Society to fix its own problems, heal its own soldiers. But the message given in his eyes just before he'd left was clear enough to all who'd seen it: he would return, and this time they would settle it once and for all.

TEHGRIMREAPER

The instant they left, the masked woman rushed over to the side of the Captain Commander, putting her hand (now without gauntlets covering them, and he noticed the black katana was back at her side) to his throat to check for a pulse. Ichigo seemed to be frozen in place, thoughts on what would happen now that his Zanpakuto had been cut not so cleanly in half. All surviving and able Shinigami immediately swarmed into the area checking for the wounded people still remaining. Some would need medical attention swiftly, or their lives would be lost from the result of their injuries.

"Ichigo," she spoke softly from next to Yamamoto, loud enough so he could clearly decipher her words, quiet enough so that she didn't seem to be talking aggressively. He turned slowly, a small fear visible in his eyes of what was yet to come. "None of this was your fault, you did your best, and you didn't give up either."

Her words were kind, in no way lying in what she thought to be true. A small smile graced his features, although sadness was imbedded into the expression, she seemed content with his reaction.

"Is he…?" he couldn't bring himself to complete the sentence, not being able to imagine the great Captain Commander who he'd always imagined the unbreakable force of the entire Soul Society, their motivation to keep pushing onwards, to be able to lose his life in such a way. Old age, maybe. But his strength was too overwhelming for his journey to end in a battle.

Her silence told him all he needed to know. It was true – the will of the Seireitei was dead and gone, never to take a breath again. He'd been late to the battle and it had cost such a man his life. It was because of him that such an incredible man had-

"Wait!" The words seemed to slip out from between her lips unintentionally, her body subconsciously wanting to keep him in the know. She looked up to lock her eyes with his, relief carved into them so intensely. "He's still alive, but barely! He'll need medical attention right now or we'll lose him!"

He understood the unspoken message – find someone to help as fast as he possibly could. He did exactly that, bursting into the Fourth Division's barracks and shouting for Captain Unohana. She was Captain of the mainly medical based Squad for a reason, after all. He found her swiftly, telling her that the Captain Commander was alive, but desperately needed her to help him or he wouldn't be for much longer. Her usual calm composure was forgotten as her eyes widened and she rushed to follow him back to the old man.

No further words had to be said as they arrived, Unohana quickly taking over the situation from the masked woman who seemed to have been trying to use Reiatsu to temporarily keep him alive. Whether or not it had been working very successfully or not didn't matter after the medical specialist took over, nor was it clear if it was or not in the first place. She seemed to know exactly what to do and both Ichigo and the woman left her to it in peace. They would only get in her way.

"You never told me your name…" They watched from the side-lines to be sure that if the Captain needed any help in her endeavour then they would be right there to assist her. The Strawberry's query went unanswered for a few moments; the still unnamed woman merely stood watching the medical procedures being done with a small look of wonder present in her eyes.

After a reasonably long pause containing only silence, he figured that she didn't want to give him an answer.

"You don't have to tell me, it's yo-"

"Ayumi," she cut him off quite deliberately after finally coming to a decision of whether or not to tell it to him. "My name is Ayumi." She turned to him and he sensed a smile behind her mask, her eyes were constantly giving away her expressions, after all.

And for the first time since he'd met her, she relaxed her posture into what could have been seen as letting her guard down. Maybe she now trusted him slightly; she had given him her name after all. And for someone whose identity was kept in the dark so much that should mean something.

Then suddenly, without any prior warning of what was about to happen, a mass of swords appeared seemingly out of nowhere, all facing Ayumi as some kind of threat or warning not to try anything. All warmth in her eyes suddenly froze up as a hard edge took its place, using the tactic she had used on Kisuke previously. The blades kept their position, as a voice spoke out firmly from in front of them.

"Who are you, and what do you want?"

TEHGRIMREAPER

_Yay! Chapter four complete! I know I barely updated this within a week, but I haven't had internet connection until just now so I couldn't update it DX_

_I hoped you guys all liked it. Any thoughts on something I could do to improve it, any thoughts at all, please leave a review and tell me what you thought._

_So what do you think will happen next? Who is it that is threatening Ayumi (and we finally have her name)? And whoever it is, why are they doing it?_

_Find out next time in Flashes Amongst Flames!_


	5. AN

_I am really sorry that I'm putting an AN because I know that everyone hates them (including myself) but I'm writing this to tell you guys that I'm going to be putting this story on hold for a while._

_Reasons:_

_1. I don't really know what's going to be happening, I only had a small idea and built on it a bit so I'll need time to figure that out_

_2. Writers block, my nemesis but it's got me. Not only to I not really know what's going to happen but I'm not sure how to write what I do._

_3. To be honest I can't really think about this story right now, because me being a very smart person decided to work on multiple stories (and not just fanfics) at the same time. That idea didn't work out well, and now I'm stopping writing some of them (including this one) to work on the ones I really feel like writing right now._

_When I do finally update this story, I will get rid of this AN so it won't be there to bother people anymore, and hopefully from then onwards I will have a better plot to go by and will be able to write it better._

_Sorry_

TEHGRIMREAPER


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